>> welcome to the "journal" coming to you live from dw here in berlin. >> here's what's coming up in the next half hour -- them of political unrest in tunisia after a leading secular politician is assassinated in front of his home. >> the german education minister is stripped of her document for playing it -- her doctorate for plagiarism, and the opposition calls for her resignation.

>> the political crisis in tunisian deepened dramatically tonight following the assassination of a top opposition leader and the violent unrest that has followed in the wake of his killing. troops have been deployed in a number of locations to restore order. >> the killing of the prominent secular politician has sparked protests across the country. supporters flooded the streets of tunis and other cities. there are reports of barricades being erected in clashes with police. >> news of the assassination sparked protests in several tunisian cities. in the capital, thousands of angry protesters followed the ambulance carrying belaid's body. many blame the islamists, an

accusation the party denies. >> people know that the criminals are directly linked to the head of the party. >> all these islamist organizations have a reputation of terrorist groups. history is a witness. it is not possible to discuss, negotiate, or agree with terrorists. the government has no other choice but to resign. otherwise, the tunisian people will topple them. they must step down. >> belaid was gunned down outside his home on wednesday. he headed the secular left- leaning patriots party. his allies said the killing was calculated to cause civil unrest. >> these people want to turn tunisian into another somalia. they want to see a spiral of violence in our country. we will not fall for that.

chokri will not be the last march. >> in a speech to the european parliament, calm was called for in tunisian were tensions between nonreligious an islamist forces are on the rise. >> in a bit, we will go live to tunisia where the prime minister is speaking right now. meanwhile in egypt, the president has urged syrian opposition groups to unify. the call came as he addressed leaders of islamists states at a summit in cairo is also focusing on the battle against militants in mali. >> among the leaders gathered is mahmoud ahmadinejad, making his first trip to egypt. as is the first by a leader around since the country's revolution. >> the warm greetings signaled a fall in the formerly icy relations between the two nations, and yet, there are still plenty of bones of

contention between the egyptian president and his iranian counterpart. for starters, the subject of syria. while iran supports the assad regime, morsi is one of the syrian president's sharpest critics. >> the syrian regime must look at the lessons from history. it is the people who remain. those who put their personal interests above the interests of their people will eventually be forced to leave. >> although morsi has called on all such a step down, he has called for a military intervention in syria. the final draft declaration calls for dialogue administration and representatives of the regime. islamic nations are split on

france's intervention in mali. catarrh and egypt have criticized the intervention while others like senegal have praised it and participated in it inqatar and egypt have criticized the intervention. >> we ask if there is likely to be any change in relations between egypt and iran. >> relationships -- relations between the countries have been bad since 1979, the year of the revolution in iran, because the then revolutionary heads explained unhappiness over the then egyptian president, and from that moment on, there were no direct relations. this has changed now after the toppling of mubarak in egypt, and both sides have tried to improve relations for more or less the same reasons. they want to get a more relaxed atmosphere in the region, and they are both countries that see

themselves isolated in the region to a certain extent. for these reasons, both sides are profiting. >> what would it mean if relations do improve? >> it is not necessarily bad news for western countries. egypt knows where it stands. the country is almost bankrupt. it needs the support of the international monetary fund and continues to be dependent on american and european money being poured into egypt. the same is true for a very solid financial supply by saudi arabia, and saudi arabia is the most intimate enemy of iran, sell saudi arabia will never allow for egypt to become too close a friend with iran. things are a little bit tricky. when you talk about atmospheres, both sides are willing to improve relations, but it will not really be a change in political pace, so to speak, in the region. >> iran and egypt still disagree

on syria. will that change? >> yes, when it comes to syria, both sides are at loggerheads. egypt does support the opposition, as the saudi arabia, as does turkey and western countries, but iran, of course, continues to support the egyptian regime and is a close ally of russia in this context. when it comes to this issue, there are really quite a few differences between the two sides, but they are not really relevant. it is the united states and russia that have to reach an understanding when it comes to dealing with the syrian crisis. iran is important when it comes to the army of the opposition, but politically speaking, russia is the main supporter of the opposition. >> thanks very much. >> in germany, chancellor angela merkel is looking at the possibility of perhaps having to reshuffle her cabinet. after a university committee withdrew the doctoral title

from, of all people, the country's education minister after finding she had plagiarized her thesis. >> commentators are comparing this to the transportation minister being caught drunk driving or the finance minister hiding cash in monaco. for now, though, the chancellor is giving her support. >> the german cabinet is full of doctors. the finance minister, the foreign affairs minister, the economy minister and vice chancellor, and, of course, the chancellor herself, dr. angela merkel. it is an unfortunate twist of fate that the education minister, of all people, is to be stripped of her doctorate. she got the news in south africa. >> i will not accept the decision by the university of dusseldorf, and i will challenge it in court. now that i am is involved in a legal battle with the

university, i must ask for understanding that i cannot comment further on the matter today. >> after an investigation lasting months, the university concluded that schavan plagiarized from other works. >> she intentionally copied in claimed as her own theories originated by others. >> critics have questioned the university's decision not to ask for an independent assessment of the dissertation. members of schavan's party say they are confident her dissertation at the academic standards at the time, but opposition parties are calling for her to step down. >> i cannot for the life of me

imagine how a german education minister can remain in office with a blemish like this. >> in 2011, the then defense minister resigned after being stripped of the document for copying parts of his dissertation from other sources. it could be embarrassing for angela merkel i of one of her closest colleagues is now forced out under similar circumstances. >> how likely is that? for more now, we go to our political correspondent. how much of a blow is this to angela merkel and germany's political establishment in general, following the resignation, as we heard in that report, of the defense minister of the same type of fraud and deception? >> it is a blow, of course. at the moment, schavan is saying that the allegations of intention of plagiarism are not fair, that they are untrue, and that she will fight them in the courts, but the political damage

has been done. the university has revoked her title. one can hardly imagine anything more embarrassing for an education minister. when she comes back from south africa at the end of the week, i suspect she will have a long, very hard talk to the chancellor. she realizes that even if she is innocent, she will be the but of very cruel jokes by the media and by the opposition -- she will be the butt of very cruel jokes. rather than subject yourself to that, -- rather than subject herself to that, my guess is she will submit her resignation and the chancellor will accept it. >> back to our top story now, the turmoil in tunisia. we go back now to tunis, where the prime minister is speaking. the president has just been speaking -- the prime minister, rather. what did he have to say? >> yes, the prime minister was

relatively vague and said that he had made the decision on his own, did not say weather -- whether coalition partners were involved. the opposition parties are about to give a press conference on what will be their reaction to the killing. >> we are still waiting for reaction. can you give us some background? how much has tunisian been destabilized by this assassination? >> i would not say that tunisia has been destabilized. most citizens are just carrying on their lives as usual, but in political circles, it certainly seems quite a big event today.

>> thanks so very much. moving on to some other news, society has been struggling to keep up for decades, and sometimes developments outpaced our ability to apprehend all the consequences. >> take artificial insemination, which gave rise to sperm donors. for years, mothers who used the services thought laws enacted at the time was forever prevent their children from discovering the identity of their biological father, but in germany, a court has ruled that knowing who dad is is a fundamental right. >> the woman who brought the case says she is not interested in claiming money from her biological father. her reasons are personal. the court agreed she has the right to know who her biological father is a. >> the plaintiff has the right to know where she comes from. it is a basic right because

everyone should be given the chance to know their biological parents are and what traits they may have inherited from them -- to know who their biological parents are and what traits they may have inherited from them. >> the 21-year-old's father donated sperm anonymously to a fertility center in western germany. the doctor who carried out the facility -- fertility treatment said he no longer has any information on the donor's identity, but the court did not believe that claim, and the doctor could face a fine if he does not pass on the details. the ruling could have landmark consequences. and every individual can now demand that the doctor supply them with information about the identity of the donor. >> an estimated 100,000 children in germany have been born from anonymous sperm donors. legislation as it stands leave the rights of such people as well as donors and medical staff

in a legal grey area. >> we are going to a short break. when we come back, predatory banks. >> and watch out, x-men. a synthetic man not quite up to fighting shape yet, but he is being unveiled. >> stay with us.

>> welcome back. while we have seen it time and time again since the financial crisis broke in 2008, taxpayers being forced to bail out banks politicians claimed were too big to fail, but now tacitly signaling this approach has been wrong, leaders in two of europe's biggest economies are moving to prevent this from happening again. >> the german cabinet has approved stricter new rules to shore up the sector in case of another prices -- another crisis. a similar bill was introduced in the uk this week. >> germany's largest bank, deutsche bank.

it is one of the financial institutions deemed too big to fail. if it collapsed, it could bring down the entire economy. that means it would have to be bailed out by the taxpayers. but the german government wants to change this state of affairs. >> we want banking regulations to assure that if a bank fails, taxpayers will not be liable. and that the repercussions of systemic risks for the financial sector are contained. >> under the new law, bankers guilty of behavior that jeopardize their bank could go to jail for up to five years. banks will be required to keep their retail businesses separate from their riskier business activities, and they have to prepare any emergency plan or a will that does not rely on taxpayer money for restructuring or winding down if they get into

financial difficulties. the new rules could put a dent in the profits of germany's largest banks because they will have to hold more capital to cover higher-risk investments. the bundestag will have to approve the draft legislation. opposition parties say the proposals do not go far enough. >> things are looking up in europe according to a survey. the institute for economic research and the international chamber of commerce in paris say that while the eurozone's current economic climate is difficult, the next six months are said to be the best in two years. >> how did the markets react to this service? our correspondent sent us this summary from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the german manufacturing sector posted an increase of

factory orders again, but the increase was not as strong as economists had anticipated. this means that business sentiment and sentiment among experts might have been a bit too optimistic compared to the hard facts of the economy. concerns like this weighed on the stock market this wednesday and broadly all over europe, shares of the banking sector were being sold. the news that the royal bank of scotland has to pay fines of nearly 500 million euros because of the libor scandal reminded investors that many more allegations of manipulation of key interest rates are under investigation currently. >> we've got the markets by the numbers now. the dax was down 1.09%. euro stoxx 50 down by 1.28.

at this hour, the dow jones is down by 0.18%, and the euro is trading at $1.3517. that is a little bit down. in europe and elsewhere, there's a groundswell of support for putting an end to female genital mutilation, a practice which mainly targets girls before or as they enter puberty. >> it is the international day of zero tolerance. the who says at least 140 million women around the world have had their genitals mutilated. western and northeastern africa, the practice is widespread, especially in sudan. official statistics say well over half of all women between the age of 15 and 49 have been sexually mutilated. it is a sad reality repeated all too often elsewhere. >> activists are now on the offensive to protect these girls, challenging a patriarchal culture that considers women

property and genital mutilation in must for insuring an obedient daughter. >> this young woman has joined the fight against the ancient tradition of female genital mutilation. she says the practice should be outlawed in sudan. she's part of a growing movement. >> i was circumcised when i was still very young. the pain was terrible. that is why i'm getting involved. >> she wants to change public opinion about female circumcision. the group's activists say they want to change the law as well. >> i was not circumcised myself, but i want to make sure all girls are spare this torture. we have to end this horrifying practice in the coming year. >> the majority of sudanese girls undergo the procedure. women who have not been circumcised are often seen as in here. they have difficulty finding a husband, and without a husband,

survival is typical. -- survival is difficult. some sudanese men also say genital mutilation is shameful. >> this tradition is harmful for all of us. it is an attack on the physical and spiritual health of our women. i hope very much that we can clear this up and succeed in ending this terrible horror in our region and our country. >> some political parties have demanded that the president make female genital mutilation illegal. that has encouraged activists. some say that a change of attitude is already under way. >> the recent situation in sudan is that the female circumcision, the fgmc, is beginning to decline rapidly, so the situation is improving for protection of girls. >> however, activists have their

work cut out for them in sudan's traditional male-dominated society. >> the countdown to the berlin film festival was almost over. the world famous event kicks off in less than 12 hours with big budget productions rubbing shoulders with some our house obscurities. >> the festival is in its 23rd year, and there is a distinctly asian flavor to this year's entries. a chinese martial arts epic is set to open the proceedings. the winner of the best film award will be taking home the coveted golden bear. for more on this, we are happen to be joined in the studio by our entertainment correspondent. is this the first chinese berlinala? >> in a way, it is. we have a chinese jury present. also, there are even two chinese

sponsors. i think it is a reflection of how important china has become for the global film industry. like a lot of industries -- cars, mobile phones, everyone wants to get into china, and it is the same in the film business. china is the second largest film market after the u.s., and everyone wants to get in there because it is where the money is to be made. it has gotten so that in hollywood everyone wants their films to be played in china so they will get their scripts approved because if you do not have china nowadays, you will not make any money, and i think that is reflected even in a very respected our house festival like berlin that the future of the global industry is china. >> what can you tell us about the interest from china at the berlinale? >> obviously, "the grandmaster" is the biggest film coming out of china right now.

the director is very successful and very well known in europe because most of his previous films have been very european, emotional traumas shot in a beautiful french style. this film is different. it has a bit of that, but it is a martial arts action movie, so it is an interesting combination of the two worlds. it played very well in china. i too will be interesting to see how it plays to a european audience. >> what about the european and german hopefuls? >> i am not sure -- there was one german film in competition. it is about german immigrants to the u.s. going gold hunting during the gold rush. maybe it has a chance, but i would not bet on it. the film i would bet on going home with the golden bear is an iranian. he made his film in secret and got it shipped to the berlinale.

i think that alone makes it a favorite. >> we will have plenty more from you throughout the berlinale. thanks very much. researchers have put their creation on display in britain's science museum. >> it does not include any living tissue, but it sports the latest prosthetic technology including artificial organs, a synthetic blood, and robotic lynn's -- limbs. >> at first glance, you might mistake him for a person, but rex's body is more like a computer. >> i thought that was absolutely science fiction, so i thought it was very impressive. also the fact they are very close to end implantable artificial kidney that will be able to replace a failing kidney -- >> he has a pathetic form and

had, so he is familiar with the challenges prosthetics users face. >> it is difficult to be told not only is this technology not ready yet, but when it becomes available, it will be so expensive that it will be completely out of the question. >> rex is not cheap, but he showcases what is possible with modern technology and creates hope for amputees around the world. >> that makes the $6 million man sound like a bargain. >> and that will be getting cheaper as technology gets less expensive, so we will be keeping an eye on that. thanks for joining us. >> for more, visit our website at dw.de. >> bye bye. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--